By: Hector Ponce Life Course Scholar ​This week we visited Norman Park Senior Center. It is a community where seniors come together and practice a healthy lifestyle. One of their exercises includes a walk near the center. I believe there are two types of walks: one short walk and a long walk. Due to limited time we have to interact with the elders, we decided to take a short walk. In this short walk I spoke to one of the eldest members. He mentioned that he had lived in Chula Vista since 1946! He described the place to be deserted at his arrival much different from today. He went on in talking more about himself and why he enjoys coming to the center. He is 78 years old and was the youngest of seven. Sadly all of his siblings have passed but he has a positive and encouraging perspective on life. He tries to eat healthy and walks as much and as often as his allows him. On his birthday he will try to renew his driver’s license so I wished him the best of luck. During lunch, I spoke to both couples of the group. I was curious about the marine, so I approached him and asked about his experience. He was your stereotypical army man with his strict persona and direct language. I loved hearing from him. He confirmed to me that being in the army completely changes your view in life. “once you’re out there you get the real deal” , he said. “most of the quiet times, you’re scared and nervous because you cannot see the enemy”, “you would feel such a relief when they were shooting because only then did you know where the enemy was” “it’s either kill or get killed”. He then told me that he isn’t afraid of death, he believes that your destiny is written. “when its time to go, it’s time to go”. All of these horrific experiences have taught him to appreciate life. “I wouldn’t want my [children] to experience what I have experienced”, “It is not a healthy environment”, his answer as I asked him if his son ever considered joining the army. The last person I spoke to was John. John and I spoke more about travelling. I shared my stories with him and he shared few relatable stories with me. We conversed about travelling, school, jobs, and our goals in life, which ended with him wishing me luck in my future endeavors and offering assistance with anything. This trip was filled with everything I was looking for in LCS, hearing amazing stories and learning from these stories.- Hector